At least, that appears to be the the indications. Forget the jump-the-gun news report. Or Pitt’s denial.

The best indication is that modern communication medium of text message (hat tip to Pitt Script).

Two Penn State players said Wednesday night they have been text-messaged by Tom Bradley that he has been offered the Pittsburgh Panthers head coaching job and that he intends to accept it once details are worked out, according to a PSU team source.

To one player, Bradley texted: “Love you kids. Going to miss you. Wish I could take you with me. Anything I can do for you, let me know.”

So there you go.

What does it all mean? Well, for starters I can close a bunch of browser tabs and trash the post I had been working on with some of the other candidates.

After that, I’m not sure.

I think a lot depends on the assistants he hires. I am hoping that it isn’t too late to keep Greg Gattuso and David Walker from Wannstedt’s staff. Both are well worth keeping. After that, well the Teryl Austin as DC rumor sounds good. The OC, though, is the biggie.

Oh, and one other thing I am certain. AD Steve Pederson has been neutered.

UPDATE (10:20): Aw, hell. Now David Jones is retracting the whole texting story. Might be a long night.

UPDATE (11:36): Last update. This tweet from Penn State Linebacker Nate Stupar (at least until it is retracted) might be a clue.

Tom Bradley got Pitt job. Congrats!

Oh, and the Pitt News has more reasons why Pederson’s days are numbered. The donors are revolting.

Both alumni donors, Paul Helsel and football great Bill Fralic, have been in the John Bowman Society since at least 2005, meaning they have donated between $10,000 and $24,999 each year.

Both men also claimed to have heard similar sentiments from a number of other donors —  including one who has reportedly pledged six figures to the University — but declined to share those donors’ names.

“It’s between the other donors and the University,” said Fralic, who played on Pitt’s offensive line in the mid-80s and then for the Atlanta Falcons. “But I know a lot of big financial supporters, and there are a significant number of them that tell me they don’t want anything to do with the program or the athletic department anymore.”

You can be an arrogant ass in many things — as long as you don’t fail. Once you do, it becomes payback and you find out how few people will support you. Just ask DickRod.

I’m doing my best to stay open-minded and level-headed about the coaching search. Outright condemnations don’t work for most of the candidates. Especially since Paul Rhoads isn’t in the mix (which is good, since my 2004 vow to cancel my season tickets if he becomes HC is still in place).

But no doubt there is plenty of hand-wringing over the latest coaching carousel tidbit.

One other candidate has emerged and it is a surprise in some ways — Alabama assistant head coach Sal Sunseri has already talked with Pitt about the job earlier this week as well. Sunseri is a former Pitt player and is popular among donors and alumni and he is also a guy who could certainly turn the recruiting around in a hurry. Sunseri is a guy who has wanted the job for a long time but has been turned down for a variety of reasons and I think the fact that he’s being interviewed this time speaks volumes about the way the events of past month have changed the administration and its view of the football program.

I’m not prepared to panic — yet.

(more…)

Some simple reality. Even before the rumors of Tom Bradley have started heating up, the next coach at Pitt will not be Rich Rodriguez or Mike Leach. Period. If you are/were holding out hope (Leach) or stressing at the possibility (Rodriguez), you shouldn’t.

Dennis Dodd’s laughable argument in favor of DickRod is the same thing that everyone who backs Leach says. He wins. He plays exciting offense. They’ll bring sizzle and reinvigorate the fanbase. Uh-huh. That’s fine if being the head coach at a program was just coaching (and recruiting). If this was the NFL.

It’s more than that. It is about selling the program. Being the face of the program. It is about dealing with boosters, trustees, and the people above you. It’s about being willing to work with others. And most of all, it is about trust.

(more…)

…In the world of coachspeak, there is no denial.

Take it for what it is worth, but Todd Graham was asked about the Pitt job by his media in Tulsa.

“I’ve got three kids who attend the University of Tulsa. I’ve pretty-much bought in and sold out,” he said Monday. “You know, my wife informed me that if I go anywhere I’ll be going by myself. So, that’s a little hard for me right now being 46. I don’t really want to do that.”

Darn good reasons to stay. Says his wife is happy and the kids are in college. I mean, who takes another job when their kid is actually in school (*cough* Ben Howland *cough*)?

This is why coaching carousel stuff sucks. You have to parse this stuff and look at the non-denials. And while he’s saying things like this, he doesn’t actually say he’s not interested in another job or won’t leave.

Is it gamesmanship to simply force more money from Tulsa or have Pitt make a better offer? Is he just sending a message to other schools in the near-future that if you want him, make sure it’s a good offer?

Don’t know. We’ll see, I guess.